Some of the reasons why we eat when we’re not hungry:

When under stress the body increases levels of the stress hormone cortisol and this increase your desire to eat. Try to control stress with forms of exercise, particularly outdoor exercise has been shown to reduce levels of stress.

Emotional eating

Eating foods that make you feel good like treats increase serotonin making you feel better, but this is only temporary and then followed with guilt. Try to reward yourself with other activities like pampering or exercise to make yourself feel better and to avoid overeating.

Dehydration

The body feels weak and dizzy when it’s dehydrated leading it to think that it may be hungry. Try drinking a glass of water before you decide to eat anything, this way you’re giving your body a chance to decide whether it really hungry or not.

Low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia)

Typically, those people with diabetes will suffer from hyperglycaemia but it can also affect people who skip meals or eat highly refined sugar foods which means their blood sugars yo-yo. Try to avoid simple carbohydrates, i.e. sugary foods and choose foods which are going to leave you feeling full for longer. Choose low glycaemic index foods.

The body doesn’t know when it’s full

Leptin helps you regulate your appetite and when your leptin levels rise, it sends signals to your brain that you’re full, so you’ll stop eating. Some people are resistant to the leptin effect, due to being overweight or having poor control over their diet. Try gentle regular exercise to help improve the bodies ability to read leptin signals.